June 19 – Patience (Ecclesiastes 7:8-9)

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”(Proverbs 19:11)

IN WORD:
It is profoundly ironic that those who are most aggressive in asserting their rights and establishing themselves are least likely to earn a respectable reputation. There is something disturbing about those who are rash and overly assertive. They must have what they want now. They are ruled by their whims. They carry the defining marks of this world, and they are unimpressive to everyone but themselves.
By contrast, those who are patient — slow to anger, deliberate in their steps, reluctant to speak or to judge hastily — are those held in highest regard by others. They do not assert their reputation, they simply earn it. They lose the argument but win respect. The world takes notice because they are noticeably not like this world. They carry the marks of wisdom. In fact, whether they intend it or not, they are like Jesus.
Jesus could have won the kingdoms of this world at the Temptation, but He waited. He could have established His kingdom when He rode into Jerusalem, but He waited. He could have condemned those who crucified Him, but He waited. He could have called legions of angels to defend Him, but He waited. He could have returned yesterday, but He’s waiting.
Why is He so excruciatingly patient? Because the greater the investment in His people — in both time and spiritual maturity — the greater the benefit in the eternal scheme.

IN DEED:
Have you learned that principle for yourself? Sometimes the best answer is a slow one — or none at all. Sometimes there is no pressing need to defend yourself when you know your position will be established in the end. Sometimes the person who offends you will eventually come around — if you give him time. If you are patient in all things, you are like Jesus. Your wisdom will be to your own glory, and also to His.

“Be as patient with others as God has been with you.”
-Anonymous-